These are seriously good. Lovely green spinach, salty tang of the feta cheese, a nice bite from the toasted pine nuts all encapsulated within a crackle of warm filo pastry. How can they not be good?! My mother was going on and on about these spinach and feta parcels she ate at a friends dinner party, so much so it was driving me a little bit mad.

So I had to make them. Partly because of the fact I wanted her to shut up about them and partly because, well, who doesn’t love feta cheese? If you don’t like feta cheese then I’m not sure we can be friends… then again I’m friends with someone that doesn’t like chilli OR cinnamon which are practically staples in my diet. I’m not sure how that happened (they have a general love of food and eating otherwise so I think that’s where the mutual boundaries lie).

Anyway! The filling for these guys don’t take long to make so if you’re planning ahead you could make it a few hours ahead or even the day before. The assembling and making of the parcels take a bit more time so not necessarily a last minute dinner idea if you’re in a rush. I warn you, these are rather addictive – my family of four got through about 10 of these guys in one dinner. I ate the leftover two cold the next day for lunch (just as delicious).

Spinach, Feta and Pine Nut Parcels

Makes 12 parcels

You will need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 kilo of spinach leaves, fresh

1 block of feta cheese

75g of pine nuts, toasted

2 packs of filo pastry (6 sheets in each pack)

100-200g melted butter

2 teaspoons paprika (optional)

salt and pepper to taste (1/2 teaspoon each)

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add in the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add in the spinach and cook down until just wilted. Incorporate the seasonings and remove from the heat and place in a large bowl. Chop or crumble up the feta cheese with the spinach and leave to the side. Don’t worry if the feta starts to melt a little. Toast the pine nuts in the same pan and add to the mixture.

Now for the filo pastry. Remove the sheets from the packaging and place on a clean work surface (no need to dust with flour). Carefully pick up the top sheet and place on the counter in front of you with the shorter sides facing you – using a pastry brush cover the surface with melted butter and gently place the next filo pastry sheet on top in the same manner. Repeat this step one more time. Cut the pastry into three equal strips.

Take a bit more than a tablespoon-full of the spinach and feta mixture and place on a corner of the rectangular strip. Carefully fold the slice over itself and again following the bottom line of the last fold. This should create a samosa-triangle effect. Here’s a good visual how-to.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining pastry sheets and filling. Place the triangles on a baking sheet. Top each parcel with melted butter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave to cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. I ate these with a lovely quinoa, pearl barley, lentil dish with chargrilled artichokes and roasted red peppers.

So! I realize I’ve been an absolute failure with this. I left it for so long I found it difficult to come back to where I left off. But here I am again! Hurrah! Shout to me now. Give me a slap on the hands and say ‘Stellington, get in that kitchen, take delicious photos of food and BLOG!’ Okay?

On that note, I don’t have a photo today. But I do have a recipe!

Poached Eggs on a bed of Spinach and Chestnut Mushrooms.

You will need:

2 eggs

Chestnut mushrooms – 80-100g sliced

A good handful of Spinach leaves – 100g

Half an onion – diced

Fresh baguette – 6-8inch size, sliced down the middle (toasted, if you prefer)

Fresh chives, diced

Paprika (optional)

Salt & white pepper

2 tbsp – Vegetable oil/butter, for frying

1 tsp white vinegar

1. Start by heating a large pan with some vegetable oil or butter. Toss in your onions and fry on a medium-high heat until they begin to soften after about 5-7 minutes. Add in your chestnut mushrooms. Let them cook together for 10 minutes on a medium heat. When the mushrooms have turned brown and softened, add in the chives, leaving a small teaspoon for garnish.

2. In the mean time, put on a small saucepan of water on your stove and wait for it to boil. Add a teaspoon of white vinegar (optional).

3. Wash your spinach and either leave to dry in a colander or pat dry with some paper towel.

4. Prepare your baguette by slicing down the middle lengthways. You can toast your baguette if you prefer or if it’s fresh then leave it just so. Butter both sides if you wish. Arrange a good handful of spinach on top of your bread. Turn off your stove and add the mushrooms on top of the spinach.

5. Now the poaching bit! I like to put my eggs into a little dish/container. Make sure the water is simmering (not boiling) and carefully place the eggs into the pan, first one egg and then the other. I recommend cooking each egg separately, but if you have a large pan of water and feel more confident in your egg poaching abilities, then go ahead and poach both at the same time. I find the perfect time is roughly 1.5 – 2 minutes. When they are ready, remove with a slotted spoon and tip the spoon at an angle carefully to remove as much excess water as possible.

6. Place the eggs on the mushroom and spinach stack. Season with salt and white pepper to taste and sprinkle on the remaining chives for garnish. Enjoy!

Next update: Homemade pizza.

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